KKR and a consortium of Korean investment firms have agreed to invest $2.23bn (KRW 3.08tn) in SK Horizon, a new AI data centre company being spun out of SK Telecom. The investment supports SK Horizon’s expansion of 318 MW capacity across eight existing data centres, plus new AI facilities under construction in Ulsan and Guro, and upgrades to submarine cable networks. KKR, a top global infrastructure investor with over $100bn in assets under management, is participating via its Asia Pacific strategy, having previously backed a $1.3bn renewable energy platform with SK Group for clean data centre power.

SK Telecom plans a $91.5bn initiative to build AI data centres in Korea’s Yeongnam region, targeting 5 GW capacity by 2029 and 15 GW by 2035. The spin-off and investment aim for completion in Q1 2027, pending shareholder and government approvals. IMM Investment’s Head of Infrastructure, Kim Byung-hun, emphasized the project’s role in Korea’s digital sovereignty and industrial competitiveness.

The partnership combines global capital strength with domestic stability to meet surging AI computing demand.